Alumni Oration

"Progress Through Confusion or Confusion Through Progress" (11 May 1955): 1-7. (UA Case 67a, Box 2)

The opportunity of speaking to you is an honour that I am well aware of. The invitation I must say was a great surprise and has given great pleasure to Mrs. MacLaggan and myself, to our families on both sides, to our friends and to their friends - in fact it was very much appreciated.

A Great Uncle of mine stopped his rocking chair long enough to say "Mackie" we’re making progress." This statement by Uncle Wilbur indicates the general feeling today that if we are concerned with anything that is different then we must be making 'progress'. I have decided to make this the subject of my talk.

I am now going to give you three quotations on progress—

1. "The history of the world is none other than the progress of the consciousness of freedom."
   
2. "All progress is based on a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income."
   
3. "A race that binds its body in chains and calls each link progress."

How let's look at No. 1. There in no doubt that all progress is based on the discontent or the dissatisfaction of people with their lot. Take the class of 1930 and just think of the progress that has been made since their graduation. We will not refer entirely to the class of '30 of this University but to the classes of '30 all over the country. I should well imagine all who graduated at that time were the most dissatisfied people in the world inside of six months after leaving University. For the benefit of those who were not around at that time, 1930 was the beginning of an era known as the "Depression Years". In the Spring of 1930 we were all able to get jobs—of some kind—by the Fall of 1930 we had all lost them. Since graduation we have lived through three periods, the Depression, the War Years, and the Post-war Years. Whether or not we have contributed anything to the progress of our country, at least we have lived during a period of great change. We must not confuse these two terms!

It might be well to look over some of the areas in which great changes have taken place in the last 25 to 50 years and see if we can detect any real progress. For example there is a great change today in the way courtship is carried on. In the old days we were allowed to visit our girl friends on Wednesday's at 7:30 and we left at 9:30—we talked about the weather, the crops, the silent picture serial, the Chataqua, and a new form of entertainment called radio. And how were we dressed at that time, the tight collar, the tight boots, and tight pants, in fact we were just tight and we couldn't enjoy it. How about the girls—seven petticoats, right to the floor, you could hear them occasionally but you certainly couldn't see them. Could marriages based on a start like that be successful today? Well, the men aren't tight in their clothes at least—and the fair sex have gone from a very complete covering to practically a minimum, although, do you know coming down on the train, sitting in the observation car, I happened to notice petticoats are coming back. Whether they will reach the numbers worn in former years is not important as there are certainly ample opportunities today to both hear and see the object of our affections. This would appear to be a progressive change and both parties should be more aware of what they are getting. In spite of this marriages do not seem to be any more secure or lasting, so again we have change but how much progress?

As another example we might look at the methods now used in the raising of children. You know the old methods, the "Seen but not heard" business. It was very difficult for the children and we were raised as a stuttering, stammering, self-conscious generation. I can remember very clearly having some important guests come to the farm for a visit. My brother and I were so self-conscious we crawled under the barn. Such a thing would never happen today—one reason being of course is that there are so few barns. I think if we did have some they would be a good place to lock up some of these over-confident kids that are ruining our privacy and cluttering up our conversations. It appears that this situation could well be investigated, but perhaps it has been, I noticed an article in the last Maclean's entitled "Don’t Let the Child Experts Scare You". Frankly it is not the Child Experts who scare me, it is the children. I think we have enough Child Experts—what we need perhaps are more expert parents.

Let us now look over the changes made in education. The Little Red School House of bygone days has been replaced with modern Regional buildings long and low, with lots of glass. They are heated centrally and no longer do the older boys in the school fight the furnace or throw things into it that will eventually develop into a holiday for all. The three R's have been added to and the strap has generally been laid away. There is much emphasis on children being allowed to express themselves. Pupils leaving our schools a few years ago did not appear to know very much, so we must have made some progress here, because the ones who are coming out now seem to know it all.

There have been terrific changes in our methods of travel over the last few decades. As an example—when I made my first visit to this University 25 years ago, I put on my Sunday suit, hard collar, shined up my boots, packed my straw suitcase and got aboard the "Hooper". Some of you may remember the train. Inside of an hour my collar had melted, my face was covered with soot and I was running with perspiration. I appeared at my boarding place in a very disreputable condition by today’s standards. Travel was time-consuming and tiring.

A couple of weeks ago I flew from Port Arthur to Toronto in two hours flat, arriving there in very good condition, and if I had wished to do so, by the insertion of a sufficient number of coins into appropriate slots the following services were available to me—

1. The facilities for washing the hands and face and drying them under a ray.
   
2. I could have weaned my nylon shirt and dried it in the same manner.
   
3. A shoe shine.
   
4. A hair comb with brill cream.
   
5. A spray of toilet water or cologne.
   
6. Before starting the trip I could have insured myself.

All these services cost money but meters are supplied to ease the extraction, which indicates that we are now approaching the stage of meter men and the future is rather frightening.

The change in automobile travel is a good indication of the tempo of our living. We have advanced from the Model T when it was a feat to make the Maryland hill in high—ladles and gentlemen—we are in high all the time now. We have gone from the cars with the strong low gear to a type with no gears, at least they are never mentioned, except perhaps the "overdrive". Not only are we over driving our cars, but it is my opinion we are over driving ourselves. The good old days when an automobile trip was a pleasure and embarked upon with the idea of seeing the country, have been replaced by a contest of speed wherein we see nothing but the road and should we raise our eyes from it, quite likely would land in Eternity. Our method of living compares favorably, we are passing through life so quickly we are missing most of the scenery.

In by-gone days we were born into the world, and with some ingenuity, survived. Today the trend is that we will have to be t rained to live. Imagine what would happen if a person were projected into this existence without the proper training in all the mechanics of our present day civilization. It is my opinion that one would starve to death or die from frustration before one learned how to run the gadgets of living.

At this point I would like to mention the second quotation.

"All progress is based on a Universal innate desire on the part of every organism to
live beyond its income."

Let us at this time look at how the lot of the fair sex has changed over the years. Not only have they been allowed to vote, smoke, drink, take part in the most strenuous athletics, and enter most any profession they may choose, but they have been relieved to a large extent from the drudgery and monotony of housekeeping by the use of more gadgets. It is now quite possible for an efficient housewife to run her home practically on a button system, and if that was the limit of our progress in this direction I am sure we would all be quite satisfied but it appears now that it is almost necessary to have a woman to come in part time to push the buttons.

We have also made great, strides in our purchasing. Remember the days when the man of the house made arrangements for the buying of the necessities of living. This was very likely a contract of some kind with the General Store—a fascinating place. You could see almost everything that you might want to buy and a frugal woman often had the opportunity of punching, pinching or tasting. Purchases were marked down in a book and under your name were certain little remarks as to your credit standing in the community, etc. I had a peek at the remark written under ours one time and it said "Good, but slow".

We are now in the "cash and carry" days. Most of the shopping especially in the grocery line is done by baby carriage and often the poor child is completely covered with cellophane packages that will allow punching and pinching but no tasting.

We have removed ourselves from the era when we purchased what was required. We are now a Nation of shoppers. Many of us in the old days looked forward to the time when we would be able to pay cash—very ridiculous thinking—To get any service today, other than in the Super-market, to be known in the stores of your Town, you must have Charge Accounts. Not only in one store but all of them, and you must buy something in every store, whether you need it or not, to ensure proper service and recognition. In the big Department Stores the person who pays cash today is practically unknown, but if he or she would just buy some item—that they perhaps do not even need—and charge it, then their standing in the Community is assured.

There is one important field where progress has been outstanding. The years of research and practice in medicine have eliminated many of the serious maladies of man. The earnestness and fidelity of the family doctor, striving through a whole life-time to relieve suffering, searching for answers to questions and problems that were beyond him have been the basis for great strides in the relief of suffering and lengthening the life span. At one time the doctor may have had drugs to deaden pain, but now, through research he has medicines to attack the source of it. Operations are being performed that were impossible a few short years ago and the children of today, as far as the Medical Profession is concerned, have the best chance of survival that the world has ever known.

There are two phases regarding medicine that I would like to mention particularly. One is DIET and the other TIMING. I believe it is accepted now that through diet the coming generations will differ from us in two ways, their HEIGHT and the SIZE OF THEIR FEET. The latter I will not dwell upon, as it possibly has resulted from the fact that we now wear more comfortable shoes, but the former is causing some concern. Recently I met an excellent family in Southern Ontario. The parents—normal size—the man six foot one, and woman five foot nine. Their children and considerably taller, the boys six foot three and the girls six feet. One of the girls has recently married a basketball player in Detroit, he is six foot ten—now you see why there is cause for concern. Since progress is based on the consciousness of freedom, it might indicate that if this trend continues we must have freedom through higher doors, longer beds, and special berths on trains. For some time in large stores there have been "outsize" departments particularly in ladies' clothing and more particularly in one direction, but I would like to make this suggestion to the members of this graduating class that I believe there would be a splendid opportunity—designing and manufacturing oversize merchandise—for both sexes, in all directions.

The second point I wish to mention is that of TIMING. At one time we got most of our medicine in the Spring, now there is a tendency to feed it to us all the year around. In one of the villages we lived, there were two distinct schools of thought. Each Spring everybody in one end of the village took sulphur and molasses while at the other end of the village the camphor bar hung about the neck was supposed to ward off all disease. Needless to say in the Spring the village was one of conflicting odours, but it was rather handy on a dark night. You might not be able to see exactly who you were meeting but you certainly could tell what end of the town he came from.

We are definitely becoming highly mechanized. I was thinking the other day of an experience I had recently when I was unfortunate enough to have my car keys locked in the car. We were in front of a large service station and there was another one across the street. Before very long everybody in the surrounding area was giving us advice on how to retrieve the keys. Mechanics came with tools, one man brought a blow torch and just about the time I expected to see my car being cut in two, a bell hop appeared out of a neighboring hotel with a coat hanger. The keys were retrieved in five minutes. It is a funny thing that even in the days of mechanization and gadgets some of the older utensils still find use.

In all of the big cities today there is a trend towards chains on the doors and burglar alarm systems, and opposing that, the time when the people of the Maritimes, and perhaps all over Canada, boasted of never locking a door. That was a very strong statement in our family but always before going to bed my Father would place a couple of rocking chairs before the back door and inside the front door an armful of coat hangers. On one occasion we were burglarized by two men, one entering each door. The man at the back door having trod on the chair rockers was found unconscious. We were able to reach the man who came in the front door just before he was completely strangled. I must say it took us a few minutes to untangle him.

At this time I would like to mention Quotation No. 3.—"A race that binds its body in chains and calls each link progress." Perhaps with a bit of satire I have mentioned certain items wherein we usually claim considerable progress. Believe me, it has been tremendous, or rather it could be if we handle it properly. Our scientific knowledge today is rather frightening to the ordinary individual. Through science we now have the atom bomb, the improper handling of which could bring on a catastrophy of such proportions that our civilization, the civilization which has taken centuries for man to build, would be wiped out, and we as a human race could be exterminated. The control of this child of science is still in the hands of certain nations and let us hope that good, solid, clear thinking will prevail. Our country, though low in population, has no small responsibility in the affairs of the world today, and to make it possible for our nation to carry this responsibility properly, we, as individuals, must contribute—and in my opinion one of the finest things we could do would be to KEEP OUR FEET ON THE GROUND. To keep pace with this progress of ours, we are moving at quite a rate and I believe there is a tendency to confusion in our thinking. We may be confusing Big with Good, Speed with Progress, and WE HAVEN'T TIME TO BE KINDLY. Our confusion over the first two is preventing us from carrying off the last one. We still are a kindly people, but we want to do kind things in a big way and if we can't we often do nothing.

Our attitude on living seems to have changed. We are informed on how to live by press, radio and T.V., and we accept opinions for fact. Could we be guided by the three services mentioned above and do some down- to-earth thinking for ourselves. Should we not take time to decide for ourselves what is right, and stick to it? There is a commodity for sale on the market today that would benefit us. It is called HI FI. To the things that are good and progressive in our living let's show some Hi Fi, some high fidelity of purpose. If it would improve our contribution it will improve the contribution of this nation which must be a beneficial impact on world affairs—or civilization.

To gain this end we should improve our living habits in three ways:

1. In the area only over which we have some influence, practice human relationship. Let us stop dreaming of doing big things for people who might need assistance - let's do the thoughtful, kindly things of which we are capable, every day, as we live, and where we live.
   
2. Let us decide to think for ourselves. Do not interpret BIG for GOOD, or SPEED for PROGRESS.
   
3. Let us be determined, as individuals, to make a proper contribution to our community, thus to the nation and perhaps civilization and to this purpose have fidelity. Let’s practice HI FI.